pine marten

American  

noun

1. a marten, Martes martes, of Europe and western Asia.

2. Also called American marten.  a marten, Martes americana, inhabiting forests of the U.S. and Canada.

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pine marten British  

noun

1. a marten, Martes martes, of N European and Asian coniferous woods, having dark brown fur with a creamy-yellow patch on the throat See also sweet marten

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Etymology

Origin of pine marten

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

FLS is also adding more artificial dens across the country as the pine marten is a natural predator of grey squirrels and can help to boost red squirrel numbers.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2024

While ours are the only ski tracks, they cross a multitude of wolf, bison, snowshoe hare, coyote, ermine and pine marten tracks.

From Washington Post • Feb. 25, 2022

The Croatian kuna is named after the pine marten, whose pelts were once a valuable trading commodity.

From Reuters • Feb. 7, 2022

"A lot of hours" of footage from 30 cameras dotted throughout the forest had to be checked through before any pine marten were spotted.

From BBC • Aug. 15, 2021

The pine marten is so called because it inhabits the northern climates where pine forests abound, and spends much of its life in the trees in search of its prey.

From Camp Life in the Woods and the Tricks of Trapping and Trap Making by Gibson, William Hamilton